"Promise you'll still eat lunch with me on Tuesday?"

All of my teacher education program classes highlighted the importance of building rapport with students. I have quickly realized how difficult it can be to build rapport while teaching and trying to maintain your status as the adult responsible for everything going on in the classroom. 

Let's just say this week was a little chaotic and my goal was simply to make it through the week and quickly catch onto my CT's teaching style, school procedures, and learn the names of my students. I honestly didn't put too much thought into really getting to know my students since I knew we had so many other things to get done in such short time. (Assessments, procedures, goal setting, etc.)  I guess I figured this was something that would develop over time. 

Monday and Tuesday were both in-service days. I spent a lot of time getting to know the school district and its goals for the year and helping my CT finish classroom set up. Wednesday was the first day of school, technically it was a half day. I was THRILLED to finally meet my 2nd grade students, all 19 of them! I followed my teacher around as she walked down the line outside the school and introduced herself to the students and their parents. After introducing herself she always turned around and introduced me! Most of the kids seemed confused and just smiled and said hi. The parents all looked happy and excited in my opinion and asked me about where I go to college, if I'm excited, how many students are in the class, etc. 

The following day my CT and I met the students outside again. As she went down the line to place name tags on the students she asked the students what her name was and what mine was. No one remembered my name...! I can't blame them. Honestly, my CT kept forgetting to save a few minutes to introduce me as the student teacher to the class. I think they are assuming I am just a helper who always seems to stick around. Next week I will finally get to have a conversation with the class about me being a student teacher and what that means. I'm hoping that will finally help my students understand my place in the classroom. 

To my surprise a sweet, sweet boy remembered my name. I was walking through the classroom helping students who raised their hands during my CT's lesson. Suddenly I heard, "Miss Brailov, can you come here?" YESSSSS! ONE STUDENT KNEW MY NAME! I don't think he realized how good this made me feel. I felt like he was noticing me as another teacher in his room. He felt like it was okay to come to me for help. This was awesome :). 

Throughout the next two days, this student kept coming up to me to ask questions and just to chat. He was so sweet to me! During recess on Friday my CT had me take the students inside while she ran to the office. She left me in charge and this student said, "Yes! Miss Brailov is our teacher!" 

Let's just say... this student is probably my #1 fan :) let's hope I can win over the other 18!

He even made me a paper airplane to keep on my desk! He told me it was the first paper airplane he ever decorated for someone. Little does he know, I'll keep this forever and always remember my first student during student teaching who reached out to me. 

On Friday he asked me if I could come to lunch with him and "sit right next to him". Suddenly he reminded me of my little kindergarteners from Iowa City who eventually invited me to eat lunch with them. I felt so happy when they invited me to lunch because it made me feel like they actually liked me and wanted to just hang out with me. I was so happy my 2nd grader asked but I already had plans with my CT for lunch. I told him next week I could go with him, he seemed satisfied with my answer. Right before he left the classroom on Friday he even confirmed our lunch plans by saying, "Promise you'll still eat lunch with me on Tuesday?"    =D, how could I not go?! 

"Of course, I'll be there!"

Okay, okay. He wasn't the ONLY student talking to me last week. Many of them came up to me to ask questions. I have been continually making my way around the classroom trying to talk with every student that I can. That is one of the benefits of not teaching right now, I can just walk around and engage with everyone! 

These young boys loveeeee to 'misbehave' and look right at me for my reaction. I think they know I'm not going to just yell at them so they intentionally look at me when they are doing something they shouldn't be. I'll admit, it always gets my attention, which seems to be what they are looking for. As soon as I look at them they smile and stop what they are doing. Oh my 2nd grade boys! They also like to show me that they can jump as tall as I am. 
Wahoo... I'm short... I know... :) 

The girls are a little different. As soon as I sit down by them, they instantly become very chatty. I think they are actually trying to be funny for me! Every time I walk by they say something ridiculous like 'OH MY GOSH! My crayon box EXPLODED! HELP!' or "I only read books about things that are really, really cute or really gross. Can you find me a book on something icky?" Well, they always get me to laugh! I never notice them saying these things to my CT. Maybe they see me as the 'younger, less authoritative figure' in the room. I haven't exactly brought out my teacher voice or thrown down my teacher looks yet. 

Soon... very soon... ;) 

My 19 2nd graders are SO full of personality! I love it! The things they say, the thoughts they have, the way they interpret is so unique. I really would love to get to know all of my students as soon as possible! I at least want to win them all over before I start lead teaching! I feel like that will greatly work to my advantage when I am in charge of the classroom for 2 weeks. 

In reality, I am seeing the importance of building rapport with your students quickly. The students will not always remember what they learned in 2nd grade but hopefully they remember the student teacher who made them feel special and valued in some way. My goal is to finish this semester having made a genuine connection with each of my students. I want them to remember me and how much fun they had learning with me. They will want to learn with me if they like me. I want them to see me not only as a teacher but also as someone who really does care about them and always wants to help them be the best they can be. 

I can tell I've got 1... this week I need to get to work on the other 18. I have a feeling this won't be too difficult now that we will finally have a normal school week. I feel like this is like making new friends all over again! Except my friends are all 7 years old... whatever! I like it. 

Well, I've got a big week coming up! I will be teaching my first lesson! It will be a small group guided reading lesson. Language arts is something I have a lot of experience teaching. I am a little nervous since this is my first go around with my 2nd grade class but I'm sure I'll make it out alive! The text I am teaching is called The Big Bushy Mustache... yes... I'll just let you imagine what this might be about... I have a feeling it will be hilarious to 2nd graders! 

I am SO excited to begin week 2 of student teaching! Really, I cannot even put it in words how excited I am. Being back in a classroom with students feels so great. I love interacting with them and helping them learn. They all have so much potential and I cannot wait to see where the next few months takes all of us in learning. Being a student teacher feels so much different than being a practicum student. I am treated like a staff member by my CT, the students, and the whole faculty at my school. I feel like a real teacher for the first time! 

Suddenly, I feel excited to lead teacher and not scared of it. Maybe I was cut out for this whole teaching thing after all. :) 

Something I really need to figure out this week... how can I keep my energy levels up through out the whole day? Let's just say my teacher stamina isn't exactly there yet. Being in the classroom and working with students from 8:25-3:25 has been a huge adjustment for me! We also of course need to come early and stay late to plan for upcoming school days. These 2nd graders really know how to run me down! 

Onto week 2! I know the students are excited to come back to school... they are getting their own iPads this week! I remember when I got a floppy disk in my school supplies... oh how the world has changed! 

*Side note: Notice, I did start using student quotes as my blog titles! I love this addition!
Also if you want to leave me a comment about my blog post you will NOT be able to do it in the comment section because you most likely do not have a gmail account. If you would like to comment on my blog the best way to do it is to send me back an e-mail :) I love hearing what you all think about my blog posts. thank you!*

Week 1: Mid-week update!

This picture is of a mug the PTO gave as a gift to all of the teachers for this school year! It has the school's mascot on it, a penguin. The mug was also filled with packets of tea, mmm! I was also given the button to wear on the first day of school with the teachers. Mine was a little more colorful and said 'student teacher'. :) I had a great first day of school! I might even go back tomorrow... ;) My students are fantastic, it will be a great semester in this classroom! 

"Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can." -Arthur Ashe

I'm still trying to figure out if I am excited for tomorrow or nervous. Okay... I am going to go with overwhelmed. I am honestly not even sure why I feel this way. I mean, I've been attending these inservice days and meetings for the past two weeks with my CT (cooperating teaching, the teacher I will be working with this semester). She has been beyond inclusive with me. I have done everything from setting up the classroom (side note: setting up bulletin boards is HARD and not meant for short people...) to meeting the staff at school to attending seminars. I should feel prepared but alas I still just feel overwhelmed. 

Maybe it's because I am really starting to understand the true meaning of being a teacher. I'm seeing what actually happens when the students are not around. I am not even sure how to explain it in the right way. I never thought being a teacher would be easy but right now it looks extra hard. I'm not even in charge yet and I am feeling like this is going to be really rough. 

Maybe this is a good thing. Maybe I should be seeing the dark parts of teaching, the parts they don't tell you about in college... 

The whole system can be so cruel and unfair. 

This frustrates me most because at the root of everyone working in the field of education we have our students. Shouldn't every decision be about what's best for the students? You would think... but it's not. 

But you know what? These teachers I am working with make it work as best as they possibly can for the students. I have already seen them go above and beyond for each other, their school, their district, and most importantly their students. It is because they don't let all the bad things get to them. I am assuming this comes with more experience in teaching... you learn how to still make it work... even when it seems hopeless. 

I am so lucky to have so many incredible teacher role models all in one school. 

So I am going to assume my feelings of being overwhelmed are totally normal. I have literally been thrown into the world of teaching. It feels as if over night I went from college student to teacher. As my practicum advisor told us, 

"You just need to jump into the deep end sometimes and we can't always save you". 

This whole teaching thing gets really scary sometimes but I have always survived on my own. 

I remember the first lesson plan I wrote during my first semester of my program.... 

HAHAHAHAHAHA

Oh. my. gosh. It took me HOURS! I would read though the Iowa state standards for about 45 minutes before committing to a direction to take my lesson in. I would change ideas about 5-10 times and would spend way too long on trying to think of an interesting opening to my lesson. Just thinking back to those days makes me cringe... 

Towards the end of practicum I could write a lesson in 20 minutes even. It felt so natural and easy. The even more strange part... it was calming to me. I loved putting my headphones in and throwing my mind into teacher mode and cranking out a solid lesson plan. It felt so instant. 

So tonight I am going to focus on calming myself down and staying relaxed. 

TOMORROW IS DAY 1 OF STUDENT TEACHING. GET PUMPED!  says the voice in my head... 

One of my friends back at Iowa texted me this evening saying "Good luck on your first day of student teaching, Miss Brailov!" I think I had the biggest smile on face that I have had all weekend. Starting Wednesday when the students come.. I'll be Miss Brailov again. 

This is actually the first day of the rest of my life. Tomorrow I will be doing what I plan to be doing for my entire career. 

This is scary but exciting. I want to be a teacher, I know that. It'll take some getting used to but I can do it. It's going to be crazy journey the next few months but I can already tell it'll be incredible. I am so excited to get back into my teacher mode. I want to write lesson plans, grade homework, teach guided reading, get to know the students, etc. The best part is... this time around I get to stay all day! These students will see me as a real teacher in their classroom. 

Oh... and I also get to be around for back to school night, halloween, student showcase, the first day of school, curriculum night. :) 

I mean come on... the door to my classroom says 'Soaring through 2nd grade with Mrs. ____ and Miss. Brailov' 

=D! Wowwwww! That's MY NAME! Listed...as a teacher... wow! 

THIS IS ALL REALLY EXCITING!  I can do this. 

Okay. I am ready. Excited. Anxious. Happy. 

Overall... ready for 2nd grade! 

I am just going to do everything I can as a student teacher. 

I plan to learn from my CT, learn from the 2nd grade team, learn from my students, and never be afraid of trying something new or asking questions. I am ready to make the most out of this experience! #YOSTO (You Only Student Teach Once) OKAY... I should sleep. 

*Before I go... here is a quick update in terms of my blog!*

-For those of you who read weekly, you will notice the layout has changed, yay! I finally took my chance at customizing my blog. Enjoy a new color scheme! I've also updated my blog picture. It's a tad more professional. 

-I plan to add a 'mid week update' on Wednesdays. This will be a post with a picture that I take that represents something going on that week. I will also write a quick blurb about the picture and it's significance to my week. 

-I am going to try and post my blog titles as a quote said by my students that week! I have a feeling this will be super fun :)

-Lastly, I plan to write a formal post every Sunday as usual! 

It's good to be back! Now... time to sleep... I have an inservice at 7:45 AM! 

"Challenges are what make life interesting and overcoming them is what makes life meaningful." -Joshua J. Marine

Hello blog readers! I'M BACK! For a minute... 

It is currently raining, more like storming, in Iowa City and honestly I've been thinking about writing a blog post to update you all on my summer. This seems like the perfect time considering I need a solid break from studying for not one... but TWO psychology finals on Thursday. (I've been in Iowa City all summer finishing up a psychology minor) 

Last night Beyonce and Nicki Minaj released a song together and for those of you who don't know, I love Nicki Minaj and Beyonce! Anything they produce seems to be on my 'listen on repeat until I hate it' playlist. The song was a remix of Beyonce's Flawless, which was one of my favorite songs from her newest album. I was THRILLED two of my favorites artists did an incredible remix together! I instantly downloaded it to my iTunes, iPhone, and iPod so I could listen to it basically all the time. It was a nice, upbeat change from my current favorite study buddy, Ed Sheeran. He has been singing his two albums to me on repeat while I studying for my two finals. There is just something calming about his voice that almost makes studying enjoyable. :) 

This morning was absolutely beautiful in Iowa City. The sun was shining and there was a nice cool breeze. Since I had to move out of my house last week my walk to class has changed from two minutes to about fifteen minutes. I've enjoyed this change because it's calming to put in my headphones, choose a playlist, and think about life as I walk to class. 

I was extra excited about this walk because I knew I was going to play the Flawless remix until I reached my classroom. I turned on my iPod and put on my sunglasses and walked outside smiling because I was listening to my current favorite song. I was SO happy to be outside, listening to music, and walking off to my last Monday of class in Iowa City. I'm pretty sure I was mouthing the words and somewhat dancing my way to class... oh well! I was in a great mood. 

Right as I reached the edge of downtown Iowa City, something hit me. 

My last semester in Iowa City has been a pretty incredible one, close to perfect. I couldn't help but think of all the amazing things that have happened to me. Here is what immediately comes to mind: 

1. I was approved to participate in two practicums at the same time. 
They warned me this would be tough or nearly impossible to handle on top of four other classes. In total I took 17 semester hours, spent 150 hours in classrooms, and managed to make it out alive. Let's just say Monday was never fun... I was scheduled from 8AM to 7:15 PM with an hour break in the middle. The point is with hard work, time management, and some spunky kindergarteners I found the energy to wake up every morning and do it again. 

2. I passed all three of my licensure exams on the my first attempt. 
I do not believe these exams are supposed to be too difficult to pass but I do believe they do require studying, especially the content knowledge test! I had to brush up on a lot of social studies material. That was probably for the best! Any 22 year old should know all the branches of government, right? Luckily the principles of teaching and learning test came naturally because of my fantastic teach ed program at the University of Iowa. I new there was a reason they added all those extra course requirements. ;) 

3. I was approved to come back to Illinois to student teach. 
If you know anything about the process of being approved to come home to student teach, you would understand how ecstatic I was about this! When I heard someone was approved to leave Iowa to student teach I assumed they were an education genius. The GPA requirement is incredibly high, the application is detailed, and space limited. Let's just say I wasn't too optimistic it would work in my favor. I never felt like someone who fit into the 'top of the class' category. On a cold snowy day, I was studying for my final licensure exam in the IMU when suddenly I received an e-mail saying I would be student teaching in Illinois! Wow. My roommates did not understand how big of a deal this was but everyone else in my program was quick to congratulate me. 

4. A recruiter from a very special organization wanted to meet with me about possibly applying to join the organization he is apart of in 2015... I will elaborate more on this later. Lets just say people say a famous education reformer in New York stated, "I don't think I would get in today, they are more selective than Harvard!" 
See you soon South Carolina!

5. I completed a year long internship at the Pomerantz Career Center. 
I applied for an education internship at the career center thinking I would not get it. I decided to take the chance anyway and see what would happen, I needed to fill my summer somehow. To my surprise I was offered the position for the fall semester! It was everything I wanted and more. I was able to use my computer skills and knowledge about the field of education in one job. I was so excited everyday to work on a project whether it was creating a tips sheet for job interviewing or adding to a massive Excel document containing every principal and superintendent in the state of Iowa. I was beyond excited to have my position extended to the spring semester. Not to mention, I had the most incredible boss in the world. She truly gave me room to not only do what I wanted with my job but pushed me to grow as a person and professional. I don't think she understood how much I learned about working in the field of education because I worked for her. I had so much insight into what principals and superintendents look for in new teachers and in general how to have a successful job search experience. She was not just a boss to me, she was also my personal life counselor. I always felt like she cared about me and wanted to know about my life. Our Friday afternoon life vent sessions were some of my favorite moments with her. She has so greatly impacted my life. 

6. I was approved to walk early in graduation for May 2014. 
Although I constantly referred to this as my 'fake graduation' or 'graduation part one'. I did accomplishment something, I finished all of my general education requirements plus almost my entire elementary education degree. Now I like to think I am just lucky enough to celebrate my time at Iowa twice! Although I am pretty sure 'graduation part two' will be even more special than part one. :)

7. I unexpectedly completed a minor in psychology. 
What happens when you click around exploring random minors on a degree audit? You find out you almost have a psychology minor! In January of 2014 I found out I was only two classes away from having a second degree, a psychology minor. Although I was not thrilled about spending another summer in Iowa taking two classes, in the back of my mind I knew I would feel pretty good about it after it was all over. In the end, did I enjoy my summer? Honestly, not at all. My classes ended up being a lot of work and I had to deal with moving out of my house and living with other friends for a week and a half after my lease ended. This summer was less than ideal. Did I learn something in my psychology classes? Absolutely. I even caught myself enjoying the classes! In the end... I learned A LOT. I have a new appreciation for the field of psychology and feel decently confident that I could identify common disorders found in future students of mine. If anything, I feel like I can more confidently read an IEP and really know how to help a student because I have a general background in the disorder all while being their classroom teacher. Maybe this wasn't such a bad idea... thanks mom and dad, since I know you are reading this! 

8. I ended my time at Iowa full of experiences that I never thought I would have. 
Here is a general list of things I participated in at Iowa...(in no particular order) 
I participated in Dance Marathon for two years, started a field hockey club, worked as an education intern at the Pomerantz Career Center, served as VP Operations for AEPhi for one semester, attended a sorority leadership convention in Atlanta, served as VP New Member Education for four semesters, volunteered for sixty hours in a senior center teaching senior citizens how to use computers, and volunteered twenty hours with Habitat for Humanity in Iowa City. These were all things I participated in by choices and have truly shaped who I became during my time at Iowa. These experiences are all super unique in what I learned while participating in them and what I took away from them. GETTING INVOLVED IS GREAT! 

9. I was taught by an amazing staff of professors and faculty at the University of Iowa, specifically in the College of Education. 
The professors and faculty I had the pleasure of being in class with or working for have greatly impacted my time at Iowa. So many professors in the College of Education have truly taught me what it means to be a teacher and have helped shape me into the teacher I will be one day. They never stopped challenging me and showing me how to make myself continually better. At times I become very frustrating with their methods because I always felt overworked but in the end, they had a point. I feel more than ready to put myself into a classroom and demonstrate my skills in teaching and be an effective communicator to my students. I know this program is a tough one to be apart of but as I come to the end of it I am realizing how fortunate I was to learn how to become a teacher at the University of Iowa. I am so lucky... and usually exhausted. 

10. I left college with best friends. 
My friends mean the world to me. They really do. I always thought the friends I made at Iowa were extra special because the circumstances were different here. I never lived with my friends from Deerfield and we could never just see each other whenever we wanted. I met a lot of people my first two years at Iowa. Some of these people are people I will never forget and always want in my life. They are the ones who kept me up all night laughing, blasted music and sang along with me, took random trips to get fast food at all hours, kept me sane when I thought life was just a little too much to handle, and gave me so many memories that I just can't help but smile about when I think of them.  It's scary to think that we are all becoming 'real adults' as I like to say but I know my friends will do incredible things and I will just be lucky to know them. My best friend from college is already off at a fancy job in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I know I never told her enough but I am so proud of her for everything she has accomplished. She truly deserves so much success in her life. She was a constant force behind my success at Iowa. Whenever I wanted to quit and just accept defeat she was usually the one telling me to get over it and get back up. She was my personal life counselor, math homework helper, and best friend all in one. I am not sure I ever helped her in ways she helped me but I do know I kept her laughing and was her partner in crime when it came to pizza and Netflix. 

College: Mission ALMOST Accomplished

All I can say for now is that I am leaving Iowa City on the highest note possible. Attending the University of Iowa was hands down the best decision I have made in my life so far. I had no idea once I moved into that dorm room in Burge of August, 2010 that any of this would happen. If someone would have read this list off to me and said this is where I would be four year later, I wouldn't believe any of it. This person sounds too involved and experienced to be me. Well, it turned out to be me. Who knew. 

I owe my success to the University of Iowa and everyone who was there to experience it with me. I am so proud to be a future teacher who will be licensed from this University. For now it doesn't even feel real that my time in Iowa City is over and soon my time with the University will be over as well. 

Three weeks from today I'll be standing in a 2nd grade classroom at South Park Elementary School meeting my students. Every time I think about this moment I smile. Just thinking about being back in a classroom makes me beyond excited, I think I chose the right career! These students are going to really show me what it means to be an elementary school teacher. I am nervous, anxious, and all around excited. I kind of miss being Miss Brailov. I didn't think I would enjoy that title but it grew on me last semester. 

Well, here I am. Leaving Iowa City in three days and student teaching in three weeks. I never thought I would be at this point in my life or that I would be this thrilled about it. I am a pretty lucky kid! I got everything I wanted out of the University of Iowa. It could not have been a better experience. The quote title of this blog really summarizes my time at Iowa. 

"Challenges are what make life interesting and overcoming them is what makes life meaningful." -Joshua J. Marine

My life is incredible. 

I cannot wait to share my student teaching journey with you all! See you all in a few!